COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. (WOOD) — A large group of veterans and supporters gathered in Comstock Park Thursday to help raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and its potential deadly consequences.
24 Hour News 8 shared the goals of the “No Veteran Left Behind – 92 for 22” in a story that aired on Tuesday.
Bart Gramek, a Marine Corps veteran and organizer of the event, said he was surprised by the crowd when he arrived at Dwight Lydell Park Thursday morning.
“It’s just a fabulous feeling,” Gramek told 24 Hour News 8 before the walk began. “[It’s] a real heartwarming feeling.”
The trek is 92 miles from Comstock Park to Cadillac.
The 92 for 22 event represents the alarming statistic that 22 veterans commit suicide each day, according to 2012 research by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Flags representing local VFWs and the branches of the military waved in the wind alongside the American flag as the group set out around 9 a.m.